11/05/2013

As winter approaches, ski bums are checking off tasks on their ski season prep list: choose your resort, make green travel plans, choose sustainable equipment. But no matter how early you bought your lift ticket or gear, a pulled muscle or injured knee can still ruin your trip (or season). In Washington, The Inner Circle Gym's Adam Vognild teaches ski conditioning classes to help participants get their muscles ready for the backcountry skiing, downhill skiing, and snowshoeing season ahead. "People don't get hurt on the first day of their ski trip," says Vognild. "They typically get hurt on the third or fourth day, when they don’t have the endurance to keep going."

If you're serious about getting in shape, working with an instructor or trainer is key, Vognild said. It may be hard to believe, but there is a wrong way to do squats, and "you only get so many bad repetitions before you hurt yourself." Check out gyms in your area to see if they offer dry land training courses, or discuss your needs with a trainer who can give you tips for safe and productive exercise.

Vognild shared with us six important components of dry land ski training, and recommended a few basic exercises to get started:

Remember the words, "Go outside and play"? In the digital age, many parents are hard pressed to get kids to not only spend more time outdoors, but to find interest in nature.

Here are some of our favorite activities, some good-old-fashioned and others cutting edge, that are strength-building, social, and fun. It's never to early too help your children develop an appreciation for Mother Nature.

Rock Climbing Much like soccer, baseball, or any other competitive sport, rock climbing is a total-body workout. However, unlike these ball-chasing sports, climbing not only quells the belly-dropping fear of heights early on, but it also improves self-confidence in kids. Studies have shown that rock climbing improves focus, concentration, decision-making, and works as a treatment for ADHD and Asperghers.

Hunting for Bugs Chasing butterflies, digging for worms, or spotting spiderwebs — bug hunting instills an early passion for science and outdoor exploration. And some bug hunters never grow up, from experts in lepidoptery to even bug chefs.

Zoom through the Air Ok, so this is activity might not suit the faint of heart. Then again, setting up a zipline from tree to tree in your backyard is a safe, controlled, and cost-effective way to make playtime fun.

11/01/2013

These five tiny invasive species are hard to spot, unless you look for the devastation they bring with them. Between eradicating hemlock forests, decimating fruit productions, stealing away in imported foods, and even ruining electrical equipment, these invaders are worth watching out for.

Ant populations in the South are rapidly being pushed out by a "crazy" invasive-cousin called the Tawny Crazy Ant.

This ant, named for its seemingly random and erratic movements, is only an 1/8 of an inch long, but it comes in the millions, and the ant populations can completely cover landscapes. Once established, these ants can attack cattle around the nose and eyes and have even asphyxiated chickens.

10/30/2013

What better way to celebrate Halloween (and work those old trick-or-treating muscles) than to set out on a haunted hike? Many of the country's trails have rich and creepy histories, and you'd be surprised at just how many ghosts have apparently chosen to spend the afterlife spooking unsuspecting hikers. This year, celebrate the holiday on one of these six trails, then share its spooky story around the campfire.

1. Norton Creek Trail, Great Smoky Mountains, NC: Some claim the Great Smoky Mountains are home to more ghosts than any other national park on the map, and the Norton Creek Trail hosts one of the more terrifying. Utlanta, or "Spearfinger," an ogress of Cherokee legend, is said to roam the area, appearing as a harmless old woman and tricking unsuspecting children out of their livers. As the story goes, she was ultimately defeated by the Cherokee, but hikers who are particularly attached to their internal organs might get a chill from this creepy tale.

10/29/2013

Comet ISON continues to zip toward the sun, making
its closest approach on November 28. Until then, you can look for ISON on
November mornings in the southeast before sunrise in the constellation Virgo.
ISON will head toward Virgo’s brightest star, Spica, passing it on the mornings
of November 17 and 18. At the end of the week, look for ISON just to the right
of Mercury and Saturn. A tail, if visible, will extend back up toward Spica.
After it passes the sun it will enter northern skies during the early evening.
Its magnitude is still only in telescopic range, but observers hope that it
will be a binocular or naked-eye object by late in the month.

Another comet, Comet 2P/Encke, is currently brighter
than ISON. Encke should reach its peak brightness at around magnitude 7
(binocular range) by the end of November. On November 24, both the comets will
be visible in the same wide telescopic field of view (1 ¼ degrees apart) in
predawn hours.

On November evenings the winter constellations,
including Taurus and Orion, are rising in the east. Just behind them is Gemini,
where Jupiter is currently found. The giant planet stays in late evening skies
for much of fall. On November 21, look for Jupiter pairing with the moon as
they come over the eastern horizon.

In the west, Venus is still prominent as it shines
more brightly than any other natural object in the night sky except the moon.
The moon and Venus pair up on November 6 as they both float in front of the
Milky Way.

On November 3 a hybrid solar eclipse occurs, but in
order to see any part of it in the United States, you’ll have to be on the east
coast. Places such as the Florida coast
will see a slim partial eclipse, while totality will wait for the other side of
the Atlantic, crossing over the heart of Africa and ending as an annular
eclipse in Somalia.

Three meteor showers occur in the month of November.
The first meteor shower is the South Taurids, which peaks on November 4/5. The
next week is the companion North Taurids, which peaks on November 11/12. The
last and best known of the November meteor showers is the Leonids.
Unfortunately, this year the Leonids’ peak on November 17 coincides with the
full moon, which reaches 100-percent lit the same night.

(Comet
ISON has been glowing with a green gas as it nears Earth. Credit: John Chumack)

Kelly Kizer Whitt loves clean, clear, and dark skies. Kelly studied English and Astronomy at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and worked for Astronomy magazine. She writes the SkyGuide for AstronomyToday.com. You can follow her on Twitter at twitter.com/Astronomommy.

10/24/2013

Hands down the greatest American mountaineer of all time, Ed Viesturs has set an unwavering example for climbing success. Along with a lifetime of achievements that include bagging all fourteen 8,000-meter peaks without supplemental oxygen, Viesturs is known for his unparalleled leadership and countless acts of high-altitude heroism, which define him as a mountain among men.

This world-class climber and influence to mountaineering guides around the globe is also a best-selling author of four books. His most recent, The Mountain: My Time on Everest (Touchstone, October 2013), is a collection of never-before-told accounts of his trials on Everest, and perhaps a way of saying goodbye to a mountain he successfully summited seven times.

We spoke with Viesturs about the most crucial part of an ascent, a serendipitous meeting at the top of Everest, his onetime resemblance to Alfred E. Newman, and which mountain was his toughest climb.

What do people misunderstand most in terms of climbing Everest?

I think today the misunderstanding is that anybody and everybody can climb the mountain. That for a certain amount of money, somebody will take you to Everest, and whether they're going to carry you or pull you or drag you, somehow money will get you to the top. Everest is not easier today than it was in 1953. It's not lower.

10/22/2013

Above the tree line, alpine lakes accompany breathtaking views of barren moonscapes, majestic mountains, and vast wilderness below. Rugged peaks and saddles frame these gentle bodies of water making us appreciate the natural features even more, a symbiosis that feeds into the sublime. Often, these lakes are located far from the bustling trails of America's busiest parks. They lie just a few miles further, or a few thousand feet higher that most hikers are willing to go. This makes them retreats from the retreats, special places that allow for solitude and quiet reflection.

10/21/2013

A few months ago we shared a list of America's 6 Most Dangerous Hiking Trails, which chronicled hikers freezing, falling, and dehydrating themselves to ill health or worse. Aren't there more reasonable hikes with some similarly spectacular views? Take away the glory and the danger, and you're left with these safe, easy hikes to beautiful places. So grab your camera, and leave your signal flares and avalanche shovels at home. . . because you're going to enjoy these.

Taft Point, California

This Yosemite hike takes only an hour or two. After barely breaking a sweat, hikers are treated to a generous view. From west to east: Cathedral Rocks, the face of El Capitan, and Yosemite Falls. Plus, there's 180 degrees of Yosemite valley thousands of feet below.

Ute Trail, Colorado

Famous for its 53 hikes over 14,000 feet, Colorado can be intimidating. However, the National Forest around Estes Park contains a number of trails that are both easy and exciting. Hiking to Dream Lake takes only two hours and involves a climb of under 500 feet. From the lake you can look east and see the end of the Rocky Mountains, where dramatic peaks give into the plains extending into the infinite flatness of the Midwest. To the west it's nothing but mountains.

10/17/2013

Cold and dark conditions shouldn't stop you from camping during winter. Just be sure to pack the right stuff. Here are some suggestions to help you brighten the experience:

A good cook tent, like MOUNTAIN HARDWEAR's Hoopster, makes a warm hangout for up to six people. Its innovative design, in which fabric functions as frame, provides stability against high winds and inclement weather. If your crew is hardy, you can use the Hoopster, designed with a removable floor, as a sleeping shelter for four. $600

With the Tikka RXP, PETZL took its reactive-lighting technology and applied it to a smaller, lighter-weight headlamp. The glow automatically adjusts to the degree of darkness you're in, reducing glare and battery usage. Depending on the situation, your beam will be focused, wide, or medium. $95

Equipped with a radiant burner, a heat exchanger, and an internal pressure regulator, the MSR Reactor Stove impressed us with how quickly it got things boiling. In winter, splurge on the $30 hanging kit so you can suspend the stove in your (adequately ventilated!) tent. No more making the cook freeze outside. Choose a 1-, 1.7-, or 2.5-liter system. $170 to $200, depending on size

A long time ago, I took my very first trip to Yosemite. It was so long ago that there were still matchbooks in the hotel rooms. On the cover was a picture of Half Dome covered in snow with the words: "YOSEMITE. OPEN ALL YEAR." It made me laugh. The idea that anyone thought nature was something that could be left open or closed down seemed so preposterous that I've kept that matchbook all these years. Suddenly, it doesn’t seem so funny.

During the stalemate in Washington, nature became a pawn, something that was opened and closed to the public at will. And that makes me sad. During the three years my family lived in Yosemite National Park, fall always marked one of our favorite times of year. Labor Day meant the end of Yosemite's crowds, when traffic jams and noise were replaced almost overnight by quiet, serenity and peace. For those lucky enough to experience the park in October, with its still warm days and resplendent fall color, Yosemite seemed especially blessed. But not this year.

This year, no one was happy. Not the law enforcement rangers. They were charged with the duty of keeping people out of Yosemite Valley and enforcing the rules about the park’s shutdown status. Not the scientists, maintenance workers, interpretive rangers and fire specialists who woke one morning to find they were “non-essential.” Certainly not the employees of Delaware North Companies, Inc. (DNC ) who work at the shops, restaurants and hotels that cater to Yosemite visitors. Already hovering at the bottom of the pay scale, many of these people make it only because DNC helps subsidize their living expenses. And certainly not the visitors. They were greeted at the gate by one lone employee who hands a piece of paper stating that they may drive the highways, but the park itself was closed and that pulling off the road, even to gaze at the scenery, was forbidden.

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